What if a shutdown could be your reset button? We sat down with digital strategist and communicator Afua Riverson to explore how a forced pause can surface buried passions, heal old narratives, and point you toward work that actually feels like yours. The conversation starts with a candid check-in on grief, time, and why a week of D’Angelo and 90s R&B can do more for your spirit than another round of headlines. From there, we trace a path many first-gen leaders know too well: the pressure to choose “serious” careers, the habit of overperforming to earn love, and the quiet cost of shelving creative callings.

Afua lets us into her turning point - health challenges and the radical question: Who am I without the titles? What she finds looks like a treasure chest: sketchbooks, museums, movement in nature, the old dream of fashion and creative direction. She builds a “joy list,” a simple, repeatable practice that grounds her when anxiety spikes and imposter syndrome knocks. We dig into the leadership skills that emerge from this reset - creative direction, innovation, and culture-building - and how those gifts translate into real value for teams and brands. If you’re navigating the prestige treadmill or wrestling with immigrant expectations, this is permission to pivot without apology.

Connect with Afua on LinkedIn

If this conversation gave you language for what you’re feeling, hit follow, leave a review, and pass it to a friend who needs a hopeful nudge today.

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